Writer: Al Ewing
Artist: Martin Coccolo
Color Artist: Matthew Wilson
Cover Artist: Alex Ross
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Reviewer: StoryBabbler
Thor faces the elder god of Thunder from the realm of Utgard, the titanic Toranos. But he doesn’t face him alone as he rallied his own team of allies, who are perfect to face him: the new Thor Corps! With his new team aiding him, it all comes down to Thor and his team of thunderers versus a thunderer of titanic proportions. See this clash of mighty thunderers in Immortal Thor #5!
Review:
All right! It’s here, the big fight between the new Thor Corps and Toranos, Utgard’s Elder God of Thunder! With Martin Coccolo on art and Matthew Wilson on colors, there’s bound to be some cool action in this comic. The answer is a little unexpected. Fair warning, there will be SPOILERS in this review.
Okay, the issue starts by giving some backstory to the gods of Utgard and possibly others. For now, a godly presence called The Demiurge created the primordial gods who would come to inhabit Utgard, like Toranos and Utgard-Loki, as well as Gaea herself. The setup here is well described by Al Ewing in proper abstract and epic flair, even though we don’t get the full picture of what happened, it’s there to setup how chaotic, powerful, and destructive elder gods like Toranos were back then. And now that’s he arrived, the only thing that stands between him and the Earth is Thor and his newly assembled Thor Corps.
Let me start by saying that this comic has great art thanks in no small part to Martin Coccolo and Matthew Wilson on colors. These two do excellent work here on the art, and while I can keep repeating myself on how good it is, it’s safe to say that the art is top notch and there’s nothing to criticize on my part. The writing is where the real problems lie. For starters, despite the epic setup for this fight, it’s really less of a fight and more of a short confrontation where the new Thor Corps just play hot potato with Mjolnir, each member passing it on to the next with only two out of four making any real use of their new powers for one panel or so.
Granted, it’s all part of a plan, one that makes sense with Thor’s new upgraded power as king of Asgard. But that’s really all that happens as far as action goes. Unfortunately, Toranos proves to be nothing more than a serviceable villain. He’s got a cool look and is drawn amazingly, but he’s got no memorable personality, power set, nothing, he’s just a bland threat for Thor to face. You’d think we see more of what this Elder God of Thunder can really do, but we get nothing with Toranos. All he does here is all he’s ever done in previous issues: he just throws his big wheel and that’s it. He doesn’t even chucks his giant lightning bolt at the Thor Corps, nor does he ever use his power over lightning to do anything special, creative or cool.
Admittedly, the resolution with Thor’s plan to defeat Toranos is creative and possible for him to do with his newfound status. It’s a little cheesy in spirit, but it works and this implies that Al Ewing may bring back Toranos later down the line. Despite my criticisms, the comic still maintains its wholesome spirit as Thor bids farewell to his gathered friends and allies in ways that show there’s hope for more cool camaraderie between them in future issues in this series. Of course, the issue ends with setup for possibly the next story arc with more of Dario Agger, aka The Minotaur as he forms an alliance with the newly resurrected Executioner and the Enchantress. I’m not fond of Al Ewing’s previous story with The Minotaur in Immortal Hulk, but hopefully we get to see him be a more active super-villain this time around.
Final Thoughts:
Immortal Thor #5 concludes the fight between Thor and his new Thor Corps against the gargantuan Toranos. The art in this comic is great thanks to the art team, who make this comic look epic. Meanwhile, the actual fight is a little disappointing, and Toranos is an underwhelming villain as he doesn’t do much except spout threats and throw his giant wheel. However, Thor’s plan to defeat him is creative and a little cheesy in essence but it fits him, his newfound status, and this series, and I’m still excited to see more.